FA to introduce 'sin bins' in grassroots football to tackle dissent
The rule change allows referees to dismiss a player from the pitch for 10 minutes.
Temporary dismissals, popularly known as ‘sin bins’ in other sports, will be introduced across all levels of grassroots football in the 2019-20 season, England’s Football Association (FA) said on Tuesday.
The rule change allows referees to dismiss a player from the pitch for 10 minutes, with the FA saying they saw a 38% reduction in dissent following a testing phase.
“The FA successfully piloted sin bins during the 2017-18 season, and then extended this to a total of 31 leagues throughout the 2018-19 season as part of its commitment to improve the match day experience for all,” the FA said in a statement.
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“After gathering positive feedback from players, referees and coaches, sin bins will now be rolled out across all leagues at grassroots level in a bid to increase participation and to continue improving match day experiences.
“The mandatory rule change will be implemented up to Step 5 of the National League System and Tier 3 and below in women’s football.”
Players who show dissent will be shown a yellow card while the referee points to the touch line to indicate a player has been sent to the sin bin. Two such temporary dismissals will result in the player being sent off.
“Dissent is a key part of the game that needs to be tackled, and our pilot phase has proved that sin bins work well,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
“They allow referees to address incidents of dissent quickly and effectively. The trial showed a huge impact on behaviour that we want to roll out to the whole game and make it more enjoyable for everyone.”
